Half a Heart
by Rissa-channn
Summary: Katie Wright never expected a lot of things. She never expected to move to New York. She never expected to be the bestfriend of the school's valedictorian. She never expected to fall in love. But then he just had to come along and teach her that she should always expect the unexpected. TASM movie-verse. Peter/OC
1. Rain

Disclaimer: I do not own the Spiderman comics nor the TASM movies.

* * *

It was cold, dark, raining and goddammit, it just hadn't been her day so far.

To start it off, her usually pristine bed sheets and pajama bottoms were completely ruined by bloody red stains that made her curse the heavens for bestowing her with both X chromosomes. Then she noticed that she woke up literally five minutes before she was supposed to meet up with her best friend to walk to school, so she had to forgo breakfast. _Perfect._

Stupid, cheap alarm clock.

Her mother was probably already off to work, so she didn't bother yelling out a goodbye as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. She locked the door, jumping when someone suddenly spoke, "Katie, you're late!"

She whirled around to face Gwen Stacy, gasping. "Jesus, you scared me. And hey! I'm not that late! Two minutes barely count as late," Katie tried to defend herself.

The blonde rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Whatever, let's just get going before we're really late."

They walked to the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor. It was silent for a few seconds, before Gwen said, "Your shirt's on backwards."

"What?" Her eyebrows shooting up in surprise, she looked down at her shirt. She threw Gwen a confused glare, "It isn't?"

"I know," Gwen smiled in amusement, "You just seemed out of it this morning. Normally, you'd be talking my ear off about your mundane life," she joked.

Katie gasped in mock disbelief, "I'll have you know my life is _very_ exciting. You should be honored you're a part of it!"

The elevator dinged and they walked out, waving to the doorman as they walked closer. "Doesn't really answer my question, Kat." Gwen opened her navy umbrella as they prepared to step out into the rain. Katie scooted closer to avoid getting wet.

She sighed, "Guess."

"You ran out of instant noodles?"

"Even worse," she pouted. "My period started again."

"Ahh," Gwen nodded sagely, "Explains the big red splotch on your backside."

"_What?!_" Katie shrieked, dragging Gwen over to a random store to check. Gwen laughed, "I'm joking! Geez, Katie, lighten up."

"Ugh, why am I friends with you again?"

"I think the real question is: Why am _I_ friends with _you_?" She teased the brunette as they neared school.

Katie scoffed, "Um, because I'm awesome? Seriously, Gwen, is that even a question?"

Gwen just rolled her eyes playfully as she opened the door, "Don't start— Watch out!" She suddenly cried.

"Wha—?"

A sudden pain in the back of her head made her promptly pass out.

* * *

Katie Wright snore softly as she hugged her pillow, letting out a sigh of contentment. She sniffed, wondering when her room started to smell like disinfectant. She opened one brown eye wearily, "Hm?"

"You're in the nurse's office," an unfamiliar voice said.

She slowly sat up, still hugging the pillow, rubbing her eyes with one hand. A quick glance to the side showed the nurse politely smiling at her. "Err, right. What happened?"

"You were hit in the back of the head with a football," the nurse answered. "You slept almost half the day away."

"Who plays football when it's raining?" She mumbled grumpily, stretching like a cat.

The nurse shrugged, "I've given up long ago trying to understand teenagers."

"Right," Katie nodded, looking around for her hot pink backpack. The nurse offered it to her patiently. "Thanks." She stood up, covering her mouth as a yawn passed out.

"Well, I better get going. Thanks, Doc."

She gave a nonchalant wave to the nurse over her shoulder, bringing up her left arm to look at her watch. Her stomach grumbled when she realized it was just about time for lunch time.

"At least I got to skip classes," she mused, turning the corner, where the indoor cafeteria was situated. She and Gwen normally ate in the outdoor cafeteria, but alas, the rain still raged on.

Gwen spotted her even before she walked through the doors. "Hey, Katie! Over here!"

All around the table Gwen sat at where some of their other classmates. Admittedly, they were more Gwen's friends than her's.

She waved in response, coming over to the empty seat next to Gwen. Said blonde gazed at her worriedly, asking her, "Are you alright? Does your head still hurt?"

Shaking her head, she zipped open her bag, looking for her packed lunch. "Nah, barely even felt it."

"Who even plays football during the rain, anyway?" Gwen complained as she took a bite of her apple.

"I know right? That's what I said!"

She continued to look for her lunch, when she suddenly groaned, dropping her head on the table. "What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

Her response was muffled. "I forgot to pack my lunch."

"So? Buy some, then?"

Katie raised her head to look at Gwen incredulously, as if she had suddenly grown three heads. "Excuse me? Have you ever tasted cafeteria food?"

"Um, no?" It was the truth. Gwen had always packed her lunch.

"Well, it sucks," Katie said bluntly.

Gwen shrugged. "It's either that or starve."

"I hate you," she said to the blonde as she stood up. "Seriously, I do."

"Love you too, Kat." Gwen smirked good-naturedly.

Katie blew her a raspberry, laughing as she turned to walk to where the lunch lady was, when an unexpected sticky feeling abruptly covered her whole torso. She gaped at the sight of her favorite t-shirt, ruined with gunks of food all over it, as well as the floor. She looked up to find a guy with brown hair and eyes holding an empty tray, seeming shocked as she is.

There was silence. And then the _whole_ cafeteria boomed with laughter. The resident jock and school bully's guffaw louder than the rest of the students. Flash called out to the guy who spewed his lunch all over her, in a taunting voice, "Nice one, Parker!"

That seemed to snap the guy out of his stupor, before he blushed in embarrassment, taking out a napkin from God-knows-where and attempting to wipe off the mess he made. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't— I didn't mean to—" He cleared his throat nervously.

When she managed to find her voice, all she could choke out was, "It's fine," before Gwen steered her out the cafeteria doors, leading her to her locker.

"What have I done to deserve such a horrible day?" Katie whimpered to the ceiling, tears already springing out her eyes. Damn hormones.

Gwen looked at her with pity, patting her back. "What's your combo?"

"14-8-12," she replied, frowning at the floor.

Fortunately, she always had an extra change of clothes kept in her locker for emergencies. Like Adam Sandler said in Jack & Jill: "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

Ten minutes later, she had already cleaned herself of whatever horrors the cafeteria had prepared, in fresh clothes that were gunk-free. Gwen had gone back to get their bags.

Her stomach grumbled again. She groaned.

* * *

When the final bell rang, she all but ran to the door as if the school was on fire. Everyone was taunting her about the incident earlier that day. There was no doubt about it. This was the worst day ever.

Today was a Tuesday, so she knew Gwen wouldn't be able to walk home with her that day, having to tutor Flash every other day.

She opened her locker, taking only what she needed and putting back what she didn't. In her bag were notes she borrowed from Gwen about the classes she had missed. Thankfully, they had almost all subjects together, with the exception of the last three classes.

It was when she was just a few meters away from the school doors did her brain register that it was _still_ raining AND she didn't have an umbrella.

"Seriously?!" Katie threw her hands up in exasperation. "Why does this happen to me?" She placed her palms to her face as she leaned on the wall.

She raged around in her mind before she took a breath to calm down. Taking off her backpack, she raised it above her head, hoping it was big enough to stop any raindrops from hitting her. Just as she prepared to run though, someone yelled out her name.

"Katie!"

She whipped her head around, only to find the guy who dumped his lunch all over her. She still tried to escape though, taking no more than four steps before a hand seized her wrist.

"Damn, you run fast," she couldn't help but comment.

The guy smiled at her nervously. "Uh, hey. I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

She threw him a suspicious glance. "I'd introduce myself, but since you already know my name..."

"Um, about earlier..." Peter pulled at his collar anxiously. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't look where I was going and, well, you know."

Katie couldn't help but smile. "Like I said, it's fine. I wasn't really looking myself."

Peter smiled back. "So, uhh," he coughed, "Don't you have an umbrella?"

She sighed, crossing her arms. "No, I left it at home. Gwen and I walked here together and we used her umbrella, but I forgot she couldn't walk with me home today."

"I could walk you home, if you want?" When she gave him a look, he stuttered, "Uh think of it as an apology to what happened earlier. Plus, my Aunt May would kick me if she knew I let a girl walk home alone in the rain."

"I guess," she mumbled, peering up at him through her eyelashes.

He gestured to his umbrella. It was plain green in color. "It's pretty big, so we should fit under it."

She glanced at her watch. "We better get going then."

"So where do you live?" Peter asked as they stepped out.

"It's in the city, probably about a twenty minute walk? I don't know." She shrugged.

Peter looked to be in thought for a second. "Oh. Well, my house is close by. We could stop there first and eat, if you want."

Katie blushed, pressing down on her stomach. "Is it that loud?" She asked sheepishly.

He quirked a smile. "It's pretty loud."

"Well, I guess we could do that... Nobody's waiting for me back home anyway. Mom's always at work." She said almost gloomily.

"What's her job?" He questioned.

"She's a lawyer," she responded. "My... my dad was a businessman. I think they met on one of her hearings. She's a pretty well-known lawyer. Well, as famous as a lawyer could get. What about you?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"

"What do your parents do?"

"Oh... they're dead."

Katie bit her lip, "Sorry."

He just shrugged.

The rest of the walk was silent. Katie internally slapped herself in the face. The first nice guy (even though he drenched her in cafeteria food) that comes along, she just had to open her big mouth and probably scare him off to not talking to her ever again.

It didn't go unnoticed to her that their shoulders were glued together. She hadn't been this close to a boy in... well, ever. She glanced at him sneakily. He was good-looking, she supposed. She didn't really get a good look at him earlier. He had shaggy brown hair, darker than hers. His eyes looked at her questioningly. Do eyes sparkle? She was pretty sure his do—

"Katie?"

She shook her head, blinking. "Huh?"

She realized they had stopped walking, in front of a modest two-story house. "We're here," Peter informed her.

"Oh, right. Sorry, got lost in my thoughts," she blushed, biting her lip.

He smiled at her, opening his mouth to say something, when the front door opened and a man who looked to be in his 60's called out to the boy beside her. "Peter?"

"Uh, yeah." He waved at his uncle. "Uncle Ben, this is Katie. Katie, Uncle Ben," he introduced them to each other.

Katie stepped up with a smile, holding out a hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Parker."

Ben shook her hand, smiling back. "Oh, call me Ben. Mr. Parker makes me feel old."

"You _are_ old though," Peter pointed out, holding his hands up as if to surrender when the older man mock glared at him.

"Say, you look familiar," Ben said, squinting his eyes down at Katie. Then he nodded, his mouth in a silent 'O'. "You're on his computer!"

"What?"

Peter busted out fake laughter. "She isn't! I was—I was just touching up stuff. She's in the Music Club, so..."

It was then she noticed the camera hanging off his neck. "Oh! You're a photographer?"

"Y-yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Anyway, can we come in? We were hoping to have a quick snack before I walk Katie back home." Peter tried to change the subject, giving his uncle a look, mentally pleading he didn't embarrass him in front of his crush.

"Oh, sure, sure, come on in."

Ben stepped back to let them in. Katie looked around as she unbuttoned her coat, handing it over to Peter.

"May! Peter brought a girl home!" Ben shouted over to someone Katie assumed to be Peter's aunt.

Peter slapped himself on the forehead. "Uncle Ben..."

Katie giggled.

"Oh my gosh, really?" A woman in Ben's age poked her head out from somewhere. Judging from the smell wafting through the ear, she must've been cooking. "Oh! Peter's growing up so fast!"

By now, Katie had joined Peter in blushing.

Peter groaned. "Aunt May, she's just a friend."

She didn't know why, but she felt disappointed when he said that. But she hid it behind a smile, nodding to show she agreed with him. "Yeah, totally."

Peter made a beeline to the fridge, pulling out bread and cheese spread. "This good?" He asked Katie.

"Sure."

"You look familiar, dear, have we met before?" May asked after a moment of studying the brunette.

Katie shrugged, in the midst of grabbing a spoon that Peter offered her. "Uh, not that I'm sure of?"

Ben smirked, leaning over to whisper something to his wife. "Ohhh," May nodded in realization. Katie gave her a questioning look, which the older woman replied to with a sly smile.

They all continued to chat as she and Peter ate. Not long after, Katie found herself waving goodbye to the couple as she and Peter began to trek to her home. By now, the rain had considerably lightened.

"I'm sorry about them," Peter apologized as soon as they were out of their line of sight.

Katie just smiled at him. "Aren't all uncles and aunts like that?"

Peter grinned back.

They continued talking as they walked to the city. She must've stayed at the Parker's longer than she thought, because the sky was already turning orange after five minutes of walking.

By the time they made it outside her apartment building, the sun was already half-way down.

"See you tomorrow?"

Katie looked at his face for a few seconds, a slow smile crawling up her face. "Sure, why not?"

Maybe her day wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Hey guys! I hoped you liked this. Any feedback would be very helpful! I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. If you have any questions and whatnot, feel free to ask!**


	2. Maybe

**A/N: Changed the summary and one teensy tiny little detail from last chapter. You probably won't even notice it, buuut I thought I'd tell you just in case you did and was wondering wth happened. Anyways, sorry for the delay, I was having trouble on how to write this chapter because even though I already planned what will happen in the middle and in the end, the beginning of the fanfic is always what's hard to write. For me at least.**

**Without further ado... Here's Half a Heart, chapter two! (That rhymed and it made me think I was clever, but eh.)**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman nor the TASM movies.

* * *

Katie had never had a crush before. Of course, there was the occasional 'Ooh he looks cute' and 'Dayum that is one fine specimen', but she had never felt attracted to someone in all her seventeen years. She didn't even know _why_ she felt that way. Their first meeting was embarrassing and she wanted to forget the whole situation altogether, but their second meeting, when he offered to walk her home... It stayed fresh in her mind long after she retired to bed.

She didn't really get much sleep that night.

It was strange to her, this feeling. Strange _and_ confusing. It was like after years of absolutely no interest in the opposite sex, it just came crashing down full force, only its target just happened to be one particular boy.

Peter Parker.

Dorky photographer extraordinaire.

Before they met, she didn't know his name, but she _did_ know his face. With an eidetic memory like hers, it was natural for her. Yet somehow, she's got a feeling that eidetic memory or not, someone like him would be very hard to forget.

* * *

"You know, if you actually paid attention, you might beat me as top of the class," Gwen pointed out with a whisper from the seat to her right. In the front, the teacher droned on and on about Shakespeare.

Katie snorted, the side of her mouth curling into a smirk, "Where's the fun in that?"

Gwen gave her a pointed look. "I'm serious."

"Wait, so you _want_ me to take your place as first honor?" Katie questioned, a hint of humor underlying her tone.

"No, but I'd like a _challenge_," she replied, twirling a pencil with one hand. "Trust me when I say that you're one of the only few that might actually take over as valedictorian by the end of senior year."

Katie smiled in amusement, raising her brown eyes to look around the classroom, before turning back at her. "Oh, don't worry. I believe you."

Just then, the bell rang, signifying the end of classes. Katie breathed out a relieved sigh, grabbing the strap of her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Next to her, Gwen closed her notebook and packed away her stuff.

"So," the blonde started, "What's this I hear about a boy walking you home?"

"Who told you that?" Katie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Paul," Gwen answered. "So it's true, then?"

Katie wracked her mind for who the heck Paul was. "... Paul?"

Gwen gave her a look. "The doorman."

The brunette looked genuinely surprised. "I thought his name was Carlos!"

"Nuh uh, I see where this is going. You're trying to change the subject," her bestfriend accused her. "Who was walking you home last night? Spill!"

Katie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Nothing gets past you, huh, Gwenny? Fine, Peter Parker walked me home."

"Wait, Peter Parker as in the one who dumped cafeteria food on you Peter Parker?"

"Are there any other Peter Parker's here in Midtown High?" Katie asked, laced with heavy sarcasm.

"Well?" Gwen ignored the question in favor of asking her own. "Spill! Give me details, girl!"

"There's _nothing_ to spill! Gwen, I swear, you watch too many chick flicks."

Gwen looked like she had more to say, but Katie just looped their arms together and steered her towards the outdoor cafeteria. Thankfully, the rain had stopped overnight, so it was considerably dry enough to eat outside. They sat on their usual table, just near the doors.

"Look, let's just eat, alright? I promise, if something happens that concerns my love life, you'd be the first one to know."_  
_

"I better be," Gwen said, pointing a finger at Katie with a mock stern look.

Katie held her hands up as if to surrender.

A distinct _click_ made her whip her head around. "Did you hear that?" She questioned Gwen.

"No. Hear what?" Gwen strained her ears, looking around as well.

"This is the fifth time I heard it this month," Katie murmured, before shrugging. "I'm probably going crazy."

"You only realize that now?"

Pouting, Katie glared at her.

"Ooh, I'm quaking in my boots," Gwen laughed, before they suddenly heard yelling. They glanced at each other first, and then turned to wherever the sound was most prominent. And from the looks of it, someone was getting bullied.

"Flash strikes again," Katie said sarcastically, not pleased. Beside her, Gwen shook her head in displeasure. As his tutor, it was disappointing enough to see his less than stellar grades. As a fellow classmate, it was even more upsetting to know that he was a bully.

Katie didn't really want to get caught in the middle of whatever's happening over there, and she knew Gwen didn't want to either, but it was her stupid empathy for whoever Flash was bullying that made her stand up and saunter right into the crowd. She didn't need to look behind her to know that Gwen was quick to follow.

She was halfway into the crowd when she heard a familiar voice in her far left. She pushed her way to the front with renewed vigor, only to be greeted with the sight of a tall teenage boy that had a shaved head holding another boy upside down. Flash was pushing the kid's face down what looked like a plate of spaghetti to the rhythm of the crowd's shouts of "Eat it!"

Flash looked up, yelling to someone to her left. "Take a picture, Parker!"

Katie whipped her head to the side, where Peter was unsuccessfully trying to convince the jock to put the poor guy down. She chewed on her lip worriedly, a feeling in her gut telling her that things were about to go south pretty soon.

"Put him down," Peter started, almost hesitant, "EUGENE!"

The crowd turned silent, as if they were appalled at Peter for breaking some unspoken rule to never utter Flash's real name. The boy in question dropped the kid on the floor, marching up to the school's photographer, the expression on his face twisting into anger.

Katie and Gwen exchanged panicked looks at each other. "We've gotta do something!" She insisted, her eyes reflecting her worry. Gwen nodded.

When they turned back to the scene, Flash was punching Peter, who didn't stand much of a chance. Mind made up, Katie dashed to the two. By then, Peter had fallen to the ground as Flash kicked his chest.

"Flash, stop it!" She shouted, pushing him away. "You might get away with bullying students, but when you start assaulting them, the principal might not cut you some slack anymore!"

Flash laughed as if she told him a joke. Katie, on the other hand, had a displeased expression.

Gwen caught up to her, whispering in her ear, "I'll handle this. You go help lover boy."

Katie flashed her a grateful look, not even denying what she just said, instead opting to crouch down beside the boy on the ground. "Hey."

He glanced up at her. "Hey."

She picked up the vintage-looking camera a few feet away from them, glaring at the kid who kicked it. She turned it over in her hands, looking to see if the damages were serious. Once satisfied, she took the lanyard and hung it on his neck. "Should be fine," she assured him.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"You okay?"

She stood up from her crouch, offering a hand out to him. The crowd was gone by now. Gwen was probably already waiting in the classroom, she thought to herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Peter answered, wincing as he stood up.

"Really?" Katie clamped her hands down on his shoulders, surveying him like she did to his camera. She raised her eyes up to meet his.

He nodded, smiling. "Really."

Just then, the warning bell rang. Class was about to start in five minutes.

"Don't we have the same class next?" She asked him.

"Uh, yeah, we do."

"Do you mind if we walk together then?"

He looked surprised. "Yeah, I mean no. I mean..." Peter scratched a spot behind his ear nervously. "No, I don't mind. That'd be... that'd be nice."

Katie offered him a smile. "Great."

Their walk to the next period - Math - was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Katie thought it was quite nice. She couldn't help but sneak a glance at him every now and then.

When they arrived, Katie wiggled her fingers slightly at his direction, then sat down beside Gwen. Peter let his gaze linger on the back of her head, before sitting down at his own seat, placing his camera down. He put his hands down around it as some sort of barrier, before laying his head down. He smiled to himself.

The first time he saw Katie Wright was during recess. She was sitting alone, peeling an orange and humming softly to herself, her gaze on the floor. She had transferred unexpectedly in the middle of the school year during 8th Grade. The other kids had already formed groups by this time, so others were hesitant to befriend her. Peter wanted so badly to introduce himself - he knew what it felt like to be a loner, but he always chickened out before he could.

Then Gwen Stacy approached her one day, and Peter just left it at that.

And four years later, he still didn't have the nerve to talk to her. He didn't have any reason to... Until yesterday.

The cringe-worthy memory was one of his most embarrassing moments of his entire life. He felt like dying in a hole. After Katie had left the room, Flash had proceeded to jeer and taunt, encouraged by the never-ending laughter.

When he stayed in school a little bit later than he normally did and bumped into Katie after her club meeting, he finally got that chance to talk to her.

He certainly wasn't expecting for her to continue talking to him the day after. (Especially after he was just beat up in front of her.)

But Peter was glad she did.

* * *

Gwen looked at her with a smirk that Katie wanted to rip off her face. "Did you nurse his booboos?"

"Haha." She rolled her eyes.

"I thought it was great what he did out there. Stupid, but great," Gwen commented nonchalantly.

"Standing up to the resident bully: Stupid? Yes. Helping that poor kid: Stupid? No." Katie said a bit defensively.

Her friend curiously held gazes with her, saying with a wry grin, "You really like him, don't you?"

Katie didn't look away from the stare through sheer stubborn-ness. When Gwen stayed silent, that knowing look on her face, Katie's posture faltered. She turned her head to the side, a red tint on her cheeks.

Gwen just shook her head, amused, as the teacher entered the room and started roll-call. She smiled as the brunette mumbled audible enough just for her to hear.

"... Maybe."

* * *

**So sorry for the wait! This chapter was shorter compared to the last one, but I'm hoping to update soon with a longer one.  
**

**Anyways, I'd really love to hear your feedback! What did you think? Do you have any suggestions? Fire away!  
**


	3. Number

Disclaimer: I do not own the Spiderman comics, nor the TASM movies.

* * *

Katie sang softly under her breath as she rode up the elevator, her voice barely audible to anyone but herself. The doors dinged open.

Except for the incident earlier back during lunch which resulted in Peter getting a couple of bruises, but otherwise fine, the rest of the day was uneventful. She had Peter in quite a few of her classes, and she decided to sit next to him in every single one, regardless whether Gwen was with her or not. She knew Gwen wouldn't mind switching seats, since they weren't assigned anyway, and if anything, the blonde would be ecstatic because Katie was finally making a move, albeit baby steps.

She didn't really get to talk to Peter much during class, but she exchanged smiles and glances with him throughout the whole period, fueled by the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. _God_, she was turning into a lovesick teenage girl.

The next day, Gwen was showing off some new interns in the company the blonde was a head intern in — Oscorp. And what was Katie supposed to do, you ask? Well... Absolutely nothing, actually. Just moral support. It beats staying inside the cold empty apartment all day, so she didn't hesitate to accept Gwen's invitation.

"Hey," she greeted. They were outside the Oscorp Tower. "You okay?"

Gwen took a deep breath, nodding shakily. "Yeah. A bit nervous, but I'm fine." Gwen assured her friend, but it seemed more like she was trying to convince herself.

Taking another breath, Gwen gripped her iPad to her chest and entered the building, Katie following closely.

Men and women in pressed professional-looking suits and lab gowns bustled around the lobby, walking around with suitcases and papers that looked important. Katie felt extremely underdressed by everyone, even by Gwen, who looked at home in her spotless white lab coat.

They stopped in front of the receptionist's desk, where a young woman with brown hair darker than Katie's sat stoically, though the lackluster expression was soon wiped out of her face as both high school girls came into her view. "Gwen, Katie, good morning! Following Gwen around again, I see," she joked lightly, resting her chin on her hand.

Katie rolled her eyes, amused. "Nice to see you again, Jill," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mhm, well, here's your badge, Miss Stacy." Jill reverted back to her professional receptionist mode, but not before shooting them a teasing smile, handing Gwen an ID that stated her position, along with her name and picture. "And here's a guest badge for you, Miss Wright. Wouldn't want a repeat of last time, now do we?"

Gwen smiled, pinning it to the front of her white lab coat. "Thanks, Jill."

"It's not my fault those paranoid security guards thought I was up to no good," Katie scoffed.

They waved goodbye to the receptionist as they rode up the escalator. Dr Connor's station was just in the second floor, so they saw no point using the elevator. Gwen nervously fiddled with her bangs, pressing down any fly aways. "Do I look okay? Should I let my hair down or leave it in a ponytail?"

"You look sizzling, Gwen," Katie assured her, "You're gonna do great."

"It's seems like it was only yesterday when I was a new intern being shown around here," Gwen said wistfully, stuck in her memories.

Katie only smiled, shaking her head. Truthfully, while she scored alright in Science, it was never her favorite subject. The only reason why she's even in Midtown Science High was because Gwen was going there... and because it was the closest high school. Fortunately, the school wasn't lacking in other subjects.

She began humming, drumming her fingers on her thigh as she and Gwen waited for the interns. She had been around enough to be familiar with certain stuff, but it was all so science-y and confusing and it just made her head feel dizzy.

Spacing out, she didn't even realize had left her side to greet the newly arrived interns. She shook her head to snap herself out of it. Looking at the small crowd, she decided to stand with them so as to avoid unnecessary attention by standing next to Gwen the whole time.

"Welcome to Oscorp," Gwen started, any evidence of her earlier state of nervousness erased as she smiled confidently. "My name is Gwen Stacy, I'm a senior at Midtown Science, and I'm also head intern to Dr. Connors, so I'll be with you for the duration of your visit."

Katie saw Gwen's eyes flicker to where she was, so she gave a subtle thumbs up and grin, which seemed to only make the blonde's smile grow. Gwen turned her gaze back to the rest of the crowd.

"Where I go, you go, that's the basic rule," Gwen stated. "If you remember that, all will be fine, and if you forget that then—"

A commotion somewhere on the ground floor cut her off. Everyone looked to where the source was, only to find a teenage boy being dragged out the exit by security guards, yelling out in a distinct accent, "Tell them Rodrigo Guevara is down here! Please, just tell them Rodrigo Guevara is down here!" He pleaded.

"Well, I guess I don't need to tell you what happens if you forget that," Gwen said, turning the attention back to her. "Shall we?"

They all followed her into what looked like a laboratory, with up-to-date technology and lab tools. The newbie interns all looked around in amazement as Gwen stopped, turning back around to face them.

Katie wondered why, but then a blonde bespectacled man walked in with a lab coat that matched her friend's. "Good afternoon, Gwen."

"Dr. Connors," Gwen acknowledged him with a nod and smile.

"Welcome, my name is Dr. Curtis Connors," he introduced himself. Katie noticed that most of the interns had their gazes locked on Connors' right arm... or rather lack thereof. How rude.

It seemed he noticed as well. "And yes, in case you're wondering, I'm a southpaw." She couldn't help but muse to herself if he was already left-handed before his other arm got cut off, or if he had to adjust. "I'm not a cripple, I'm a scientist," he said with a tinge of pride. "And I'm the world's foremost authority on Herpetology. That's reptiles for those who don't know," he added when a few of them sent him confused looks.

Katie rolled her eyes at them.

Connors surveyed the group silently as he continued speaking, "But like the Parkinson's patient who watches on in horror as her body slowly betrays her, or the man with Macular Degeneration, whose eyes get dimmer each day, I long to fix myself. I want to create a world without weakness."

She nodded as she listened.

"Anyone care to venture a guess just how?" He asked them.

A short boy in the front raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Stem cells?"

"Promising, but the solution I'm thinking of is more... radical," Connors replied. "No one?"

Katie tried to think of an answer, stroking her chin thoughtfully, when a familiar voice sounded itself somewhere behind her. "Cross-species genetics."

She turned her head to see that he was closer than she expected him to be. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Peter?"

He didn't seem to hear her though. "A person gets Parkinson's when the brain cells that produce dopamine start to disappear. But a zebra fish has the ability to regenerate cells on command. If you can somehow give this ability to the woman you're talking about, that's that..." He smiled, which turned out to be a thousand times cuter with glasses on. "She's curing herself."

"You just have to look past the gills on her neck," someone joked, invoking chuckles from everyone, but she didn't even notice, staring a little bit too long at Peter. Katie whipped her head to the front when he finally noticed her, coughing, as if it would cover the fact that she had been staring.

At the corner of her eye, she could see a corner of his mouth lift into a smirk. She blushed.

He turned his head back when Connors addressed him, looking impressed. "And you are?"

"Uh..."

She tilted her head to the side as her gaze slid down to his badge. 'Rodrigo Guevara? The guy who got kicked out?'

Gwen was quick to intervene, having checked her iPad and not seeing his name. "He's one of Midtown Science's best and brightest."

"Really?"

"He's second in his class," Gwen said. Katie shot her a look. The blonde shrugged.

Connors looked back at Peter. "Oh."

"Second?" Peter echoed. "You sure about that?" His eyes flickered to where Katie was.

Again, Gwen just shrugged.

"I'm afraid duty calls," Connors said, "I'll leave you in the more capable hands of Miss Stacy. Nice meeting you all." He gave one last nod, before heading off.

"If you'd like to gather around." Gwen gestures to something that quickly brought up a hologram of Oscorp's Tree of Life, a voice over explaining further details.

Katie stood next to Peter. "Hey."

He jumped. "Oh, hey." He smiled at her, still with a tinge of nervousness, but it was a lot less than from the last time they spoke.

"Cool specs," she commented, tapping the side of her head to indicate his glasses.

"Thanks." He grinned. "These were my dad's."

"Oh, speaking of," she started, "How's Mr. Guevara?"

He looked so adorably confused that she had to refrain herself from kissing him then and there. "What?"

She smirked, glancing at his ID. Taking the hint, he looked down at it as well and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, yeah, he's fine."

"Really?" She giggled, shaking her head.

He nodded, his face warming as his smile grew. "Really."

"Tell him hola for me, could you?" She joked.

He laughed, a heavenly sound that went through both her ears and straight to her heart. Her hands suddenly felt clammy, and her throat tight.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, bringing a hand up to her forehead. Her pulse quickened as she blushed brighter. Gosh, she must've looked like a tomato by now. "You're looking a little red."

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, clearing her throat. "So what are you REALLY doing here?"

Her sudden change in topic made Peter blanch, and now _he_ was the one stuttering.

"Uh—I work here?" He said unconvincingly. "Well, I was gonna say that I work here, but it seems in fact, that Gwen works here, and since you're her best friend, you might have already known if I _did_ work here, so... no, I don't work here," he finishes with a sheepish expression.

"And because I know for sure that your name isn't Rodrigo," she pointed out with a smile, biting her lip.

Back with the group, Katie could see Gwen looking at them not-so-discretely in curiosity. Gwen wiggled her eyebrows a couple of times, before glancing at Peter quickly, only to look back at the brunette. Katie gestured with her head quickly.

Peter looked at her in confusion.

Done with the sort of conversation, she aimed her gaze back at him. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "Can you just stay with the group, please? This job's really important to Gwen and I don't want her to get into any sort of trouble."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure," he said, nodding.

She sent him a smile. "Thanks."

Expecting him to follow, she started walking back to where everyone else was. She stopped beside Gwen, trying to look like she had been there the whole time.

"Hey, where's lover boy?" Gwen asked her.

"What do you mean? He's right..." Katie looked beside her, her voice growing progressively quieter, "... here."

She looked around, not finding him anywhere. "Maybe he went home already?"

"Whatever," Gwen dismissed. "What did you guys talk about back there? All alone, might I add."

"We weren't alone," Katie scoffed. "You guys were like fifteen feet away."

"Far enough to not hear anything."

Katie brushed her hair behind her ear. "We didn't talk about anything important, just me asking what he was doing here masquerading as some Mexican guy."

"Hm, really, that's all?" Gwen asked, not satisfied with the answer.

"Yeah."

"Then how come you were so red?"

Katie blushed.

Gwen pointed to her face, an expression akin to triumph on her face. "Aha! You're doing it again!"

Katie shot her a glare, pushing her hand down. "Pointing's rude."

"Did he ask you out on a date?" Gwen questioned excitedly.

The brunette frowned, her shoulders slumping. "No."

"Aw..." Gwen hugged her tightly. "He'll come around soon. He'd have to be stupid not to! If I were him, I'd be all over you!"

"You really think so?" Katie asked dubiously.

"I _know_ so," Gwen said with finality. She looked behind Katie and spun the slightly shorter girl around. "Look, there he is! Talk to him!"

Before Katie could protest, the blue-eyed head intern pushed her friend towards the oblivious guy. However, the blonde had underestimated the strength she used, so Katie ended up bumping into him and caused both of them to fall to the ground. "Oops," Gwen said awkwardly. She quietly went back to the group, where the holographic presentation seemed to be wrapping up.

"Woah!" Peter's back collided with the floor, a new weight on his chest. He looked down. "Katie?"

"Sorry!" She blushed, scrambling to stand up. She offered him a hand, which he took.

"I, um—Can I have your number?" She blurted out. Her eyes widened and she clamped both her hands over her mouth. In front of her, Peter's jaw had dropped in surprise. "You don't have to if you don't want to! I-I—"

Peter interrupted her, still with a shocked look on his face. "S-Sure! Why though? If you don't mind me asking," he added quickly, hoping that he didn't offend her.

"Because, um, because..." Katie panicked, trying to think of an excuse. "I... need a tutor?"

"Okay, that's—that's great! Not about you needing a tutor, but about _me_ being _your_ tutor, uh," he rambled.

"Great!" She repeated, pulling out her phone, holding it out for him. "Here."

He hesitated in taking it, unsure whether he was dreaming the whole thing or not. He punched in his number and handed it back to her.

"See you tomorrow?"

She smiled. "It's Saturday tomorrow."

"Ohh, right." He nodded, as if he just realized it.

"Unless you... want to hang out tomorrow?" She asked shyly.

"Sure!" He said, the shock fading into giddiness. "Where do you want to meet?"

"How about I text you once I figure out where?"

He grinned. "Okay."

She replied with a smile, opening her mouth to say something else, when she suddenly heard Gwen calling out for her. "I-I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow... Bye."

He pushed his hair back with his hand, feeling happier than ever. "Bye."

She turned back, only making it a couple of meters before she spun back around and kissed him on the cheek. His heart thudded loudly against his ribcage. Katie beamed at him before she skipped ahead.

He stood there for a few moments, his gaze lingering on her back, a stupid dopey grin on his face as he rested a hand where she kissed him. He almost forgot about having just gone through a spider shower until he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck.

"Ow!"


End file.
